My Shangrila: Plantacion Montana Fuentes

Dotted with mahogany trees and mangoes…an intriguing interplay of light and colour of greens  imbued a feel of placid state, the flavor of course is my  personality that is reflected as  fashion designer, a freelance writer and a blogger  interacting  a lifestyle about living in a dream ‘paradise’.

                   

Montana Fuentes  is my state of mind, built precisely from my kind of visuals …I have found a home.

And, amongst this intriguing mix, is my choice to shift the idyllic  piece of tranquility that nestled amongst the trees into a tightly private playground that gives little clue about the personality of its occupant. A  place where I unwind far away from the excitement and applause of the catwalks, the limelight and the highs of the fashion world.

The home is eco- inspired  with the feel and flavour of the country sides. It is also naturally endowed with the personality of its dweller.

Speaking about my symbiotic relationship with the eco-system and my decision to make this place my abode, it is a land blessed by God in many ways and it's my duty to protect the habitat and nourish it, above all, Montana Fuentes  is my own shangrila, frankly, I knew the moment I laid my eyes and it was one of those great life altering transitions.”

Although  we can be inspired anywhere, but living in Montana is to live with nature. Most people see a mango and take it for granted. I smell the perfumes of the blooms in December, I warm the blooms with mini bonfires in February to keep them warm. That is what being close to nature is about. You learn to respect unconditionally when you live with it.

I have travelled literally to the corners of the world…to  Europe, the countries of the East, lived in the world’s most luxurious hotels, dined with high cuisine, but my favourite place is still home.

 The Plantacion Montana Fuentes  houses me. It directs and channels my personality!”

“I’m a taga-bukid, first and last”

A Tricky Trek to the Montana Falls

Walking through winding riverside imagined road, we walked with weary soaked smile, knowingly that our destination means sweat, rugged and unpredictable way ahead.

Dramatic landscape was  the first visual exhilarating attraction, drawing strength from within to continue with our destination: The Montana Falls. The mountains are always our call to explore an adventure, but to weary minds, they offer a different unrestrained glimpse of inner peace and tranquility. Set amidst glorious foliage that ranges from timeless evergreens to the delicate blooms of the wild flora, the panorama recreates an untamed luxury, an inviting atmosphere.
                                                              

After my short stint at the Philippine Fashion Week last May 19 to 23,2013, what more refreshing to me is an escape from city life like Manila and Dubai. I need a rejuvenating escape, a sort of an idyllic holiday…that was I thought till I joined this tricky trek.

As the cliché goes, it’s an adventure once in my lifetime…or maybe twice if I succeed, at least I’ve tried. The Montana trek
 is more than just scenery, the deafening  silence of the inner sanctum radiates eeriness and mystified my physical presence….what is more-to- it- than- just- meets- the- eye?

  My adrenaline pumping and I was near exhaustion when the team photographer Marvin “Manong “ Mejorada waved his hand and started to prepare his camera. The stylist and the make up artist started doing their job on our model, my nephew Amixter Fuentes Emol, a gold national swimmer from Pagadian,

The thick foliage from the banyan tree known locally as balite was our first stop. The soft cold breeze from the thick canopy of the trees gave us the necessary boost to our tired legs.

 My up-close and personal encounter with nature came in the form of the untamed flora and fauna, my ultimate way to experience the green habitat of my farm. Whoever said, that was right, because I can’t think of anything more fun, exhilarating and personally enriching.

 There is something extraordinary about admiring the pristine beauty of the falls– an overwhelming rush of emotions takes over, as the vast expanse of swirly, turquoise green and glittering water fringed with lush greenery opens up before our very eyes. I’ve travelled the world, but Montana landscape for me is perhaps one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.

Maybe for some it was so passé, so trite and so cliché, but the experience of my cranky desire to hold back again and I had given it a shot, but then if it wasn’t worked for me suddenly seemed inconsequential. I reached the location and stood grudgingly…alas I made it, I love you Montana Fuentes, au revoir! Surely I will miss you.

the team:

photographer: MARVIN MEJORADA

mauh: JONIE CALAINAN

stylist: GLEN DE LEON 

model: AMIXTER FUENTES EMOL

Being just Normal....

Of BIRTHDAYS & being FRUGAL

My previous birthdays were spent in a Hollywood scenarios. Three months bookings been done to ensure the success of the big day. A seven star hotel was on my dream, complete with high gourmet of Asian fusion ..the best amongst that life could offer. Inquiries were too harsh sometimes rigid, about where do I work and salaries. Knowingly that Filipinos stereotyped as the most frugal kind of people that worked abroad, I was fully been interviewed as if I can’t afford. Ahahahaha, as if!!!!

Next is the wheels of luxury, the king of the road, the vehicle to the stars- stretched limousine. Rented for one thousand dollars per hour, the car shimmers with quirks and decadence. The interiors flash with glaring sounds, a mirrored bar complete with champagne, wines and sodas. Ten of us were booked on that special day, the closest among the close friends.

The after party-selecting the hippest and the newest bar/disco in town to finally end up the birthday bash.

The ten who will share on my table were selected among friends, artists,nobles and and celebrities…but ended up on my friends mostly.

On that evening everybody dressed to the max, thy kingdom come. It was the merging of the fiercest spender in the city….gauging prominence on their arm blings—only HERMES and LOUIE VUITTONS were allowed.

The food were absolutely mouth watering, of course, it was so expensive duh!!!!!

The crowd was brilliant and sartorial too. Everything on that day seemed endlessly perfect….except my wallet!

I don’t mind at all, it was my fabulous birthday and who needs birthday celebration on the pathetic lowly indigestible, disgusting, cheap, shameful, tasteless, pedestrian stall in the forgettable alley….duh!!!!!

Lifestyle is a way of life, if you don’t have it…fake it!, buy it, borrow or still worst…steal it! Ahahahahahaha!

Did I mention that my friends never fake it?...rule number one: to be real.

We only have three rules actually:

1.  Are you famous dahling!( seen in glossy mags, high events)

2.  Do you travel to fab places..(London, Paris,Milan,New York)

3.  Do you have Hermes baby….!

PLANTACION MONTANA FUENTES: SOON......

About forty five minutes  drive from Pagadian City Airport – through small towns and hamlets, down palm-fringed roads and alongside clumps of  trees – takes you to the relatively undiscovered Plantacion Montana Fuentes. It is home to the newly-minted oasis of serenity in the near future, located on a picturesque expanse  nestled in a rustic environment, of dense trees and mango orchard…. the property is a luxurious soul sanctuary that is waiting to be experienced soon.

Satiate your senses in a multitude of ways from the instant you step into its environs. The architecture is inspired by a mix of Balinese and local ethos in almost every aspect of its design, recreating a quintessential Asian experience amidst the bounty of nature.

The key word is relaxation. A private retreat – that  raise the luxury and intimacy quotient with infiniti pool, private dining areas, a rain shower and soak tub. A refreshing way to experience peace in the midst of pampering!

Organic and natural rituals are imparted in spaces infused with energy and holistic balance. Here, signature experiences are enough solace for the soul.

The property follows a host of green practices,   employing alternative energy resources like rain-water harvesting and solar heat plants to save energy. Their green initiatives like the tree plantation drive and helped create awareness and education amongst the environmental conscious few.  The Plantacion’s dream invested on a long range plan and its minimalist and urban designs, luxe rooms and sumptuous world cuisine make it an ideal retreat for the discerning taste.

Tucked away in the scenic and vivid vistas of a mountain range, the site encapsulates the  merged of indigenous local craftsmanship.

LIFE OUTSIDE THE BOX

 COUNTRY LIFESTYLE

How would you feel when you woke up one morning and realized that all the things you had spent-- time, money and effort were essentially unimportant?.........
That wine glasses you bought on your trip with its endearing crystal gleaming, no longer graces your after meal indulgence, now stood still and just mere display pieces.

 The new Armani outfit you splurged on for your mall trips lies shrouded in your wardrobe on a rack of ageing designer clothes…and all those jewels, blings ,watches,multitude of shoes you proudly spent your salary on, now sparkle only for the benefit of your locker. You feel bereft - as if you've left a part of yourself with those prized possessions - but all you can take on your next chapter in life  is a feeling of being you strips of the 'good things"?.....

That's what happened to me when I took a 2 year hibernation, a work pause from the "usual me routine" and spent life out of the box - living life in Dinas, my hometown for almost two years and did some "Martha Stewart Fab Life in the Country Side".  So there would be no cupboards filled with worldly goods ...only fresh air,..fresh vegetable from the organic patches on the backyard,like whenever you love chicken casserole you basically run to catch live chicken..either you are exhausted or the chicken ,then, you will have fresh cooked "chicken ala king! with fresh squeezed lemonade, fresh shrimps and crabs from your daily fish vendors.


Green environment for green life!!!!!

I was apprehensive to say the least…. If only I knew then what I know: that it is possible to be completely happy even fulfilled, that the best of things in life are almost free.....at least as I thought.


.....then acquisition became an antidote for angst.

I look back on my bouts of 'shopaholicism' now and grimace at thousands of dirhams,spent on things I am happily doing without. But I needed them then. When life handed me an apple, I would reach for my credit card and go on a spree - if you haven't already discovered retail therapy, believe me there's no faster cure for job stress or anxiety than that gorgeous branded pieces which makes one feel like a million dollars. Retail therapy was my panacea for my worries.... - till I came to my hometown where there was no retail...................!

Here, it doesn't matter if I'm wearing last year's - or even last decade's fashion...  no one cares. I wear cargo shorts to my farm or going to marts because the dress code is more about comfort, not elegance. We have few status symbols here....no big cinemas,shopping malls and haute cuisine restaurants.
Here's what I have come to value about this no-frills existence: when people are stripped of their status symbols, you peel away the layers of social armour and see them as they are. There's no pressure to keep up appearances when all you have are half pants and t-shirts...no pressure of looking better than our neighbours!!!

How much more enriching to nurture friendships with people for what they are than what they have…I always knew this was true but I'm living it now in a way that makes me wonder why I ever spent a moment worrying about being on the A list.


I don't want to draw halos around heads and pretend to get kicks from living in so simple life,I still had nightmares on me walking in Roberto Cavallis..shopping in Harrods, or simply floating in cobbled Champs Elysees... half truth half filled, I was only as good as my last byline....my last deal or my last collection, this altruistic concern for the needy comes hard to the self-absorbed....I can't bear it longer!

When you turn your attention from yourself to others, your things, your status and its symbols become less significant. In fact, it's a classic tool for alleviating depression.


Why can't I just be contented sitting quietly watching the orange sun slip nightly into a turquoise sea...

Drop out of the rat race... then to downsize.... to simplify one's needs as a way of reducing stress, to redefine success as personal growth maybe….but I STILL CAN'T.


So in a hurry...packed my bag...run..and jump back again into the BOX!

THE DRAGONS OF MONTANA FUENTES

ECO LIFESTYLE, COUNTRY LIVING..... 

Do you know that the local dragon-the monitor lizard we know  locally as HALO, eats only fruits? not even insects, rodent or bird finds its way to its stomach...it eats mostly fruits..

I knew that a bunch or a brigade of this HALO and IBID (gray monitor lizards) live deep inside the tree plantation of my farm. The farm has two rivers that joined together like a "Y" shape down on the barrio road that cut a little on my mahogany and gemelina trees. With a certain degree of rugged terrain and suitable habitat, surely these  dragons undisturbed, breed and live  happily ...

UNTIL ONE DAY............................ 

"Lagriiiinggggg...!!!! pagdali Day, ug pangitag ihampak nimo, kay naay dakong HALO nga hingkat-kat sa lube!!!! pagdali, kay basin ug unhan ta ug kopras sa kanahan..!!!!!!!! I shouted at my house helper when all of the sudden I saw a yellowish figure slowly climbing to one of the coconut trees in the garden.

I remembered the last month's copra harvest, when I supposed to start harvesting coconuts for copra in my farm...the price was high then. Early in the morning I went to the farm and was so shocked that some local kawatan were already there last night in darkness and took all the coconuts!!! they even make LUGIT in the tree grounds." Mga animal na mga kawatan...grabee jud, kung makita-an jud mo nako ...aaa maluthangan jud mo!!! mga way batasan!!..I said to myself dismayed and sad upon looking the remains of the thieves.

I never thought about the dragon's need that time...I thought nature and man were trespassing my property. My compassion about the food chain was out in my logic. It was a fightback in my oppressed living against aggressors. And it just happened when a slimey soft noiseless predator(was it the HALO or me?) confronted me.

" Lagrimas, naunsa man ka....nganong salingsing mana imong dala? pangitag dos por dos aron matablawan kanang mambad...animal!!!!!...hello! mangopras ka????? katilaw jud kag hampak. Bokboka ang punoan Lagring aron mokanaog kanang halo!!!!", I was so excited on giving her instructions.

" Hala, pangitag bato ug labaya kana sya...dali.....! Sir. lisod man targeton ang halo... wow..kabanga ba nimo , concentreyt ba, pataka lang pod kag labay!!!!!!....ug sa dihang naigo ang halo sa iyang bato.

The dragon was hit on his stomach and suddenly decided not to continue his buko salad eating session..arggghhhh....
I saw him let off and made a free-fall gymnastic style  NADIA COMANECI FALL ON THE BAR.....!!!!

"WAAAAAHHHHH.... Lagriiiiiing...nahulog ang halo hampaka dayon ug DOS POR DOS porsanto....ang kuneho, por dos, este por dyos por santo, santa barbara, santa catalina santa inez...nakaka inis...bweset na Lagring...pagkaaaatalawan , midagan ug kusog milayat sa koral sa Montana , murag mapilde jud si Sulaiman, katong questionable ang gender nga runner sa national MEET!!!!.

In a split of a second Lagring was gone......
The dragon's  free- fall acrobatic made a strong impression, but......nalipong ug nakuyapan jud hinoon ang halo ug mga 5 minutes(hahahahahahah!!!). Ikaw daw mahulog sa taas nga lube...kuyapan jud ka di ba?...............


I was dumbed and awed by the bad directorial debut of my film- ang KWANGGOL NA LAGRING VS. THE HALO. WHAT HAPPENED NOW?...Yay, I thought the halo will die, and me leaving guilty about the situation....ah ok, me and my so selfish being....konsensya to the max....parang the HALO JUST WANTED HIS FRESH BUKO MERIENDA LANG NAMAN.

And miracle happened...ay buhay diay sya....Lagriiiimas.....asa naman ka pagdali kwanggol kay buhi pa ang buko salad loveeer....! JUICE  ko naman Lagring nganong talawan man ka..and my gawd!!!! nganong gatago man ka sa gumamela tree..........hello!!!!!!!!!!

What to do then, a bad situation and a bad cast of characters....a  HALO and Lagring...plus me the director.

Nature and Man. ...a fight for survival INSTINCT- both working between them...........NO WINNER.